Skinner Butte Park - RiverPlay Discovery Village Playground

Rating

City Facilities

Skinner Butte Park - RiverPlay Discovery Village Playground

Features

Drinking fountains

Off street bike / pedestrian path

Parking lot

Picnic tables

Play area - ADA

Public art

Restrooms

Sand play

Sand/water play

Spray play

Water spigot

Description

This one-of-a-kind playground was designed by the Eugene community to bring children in touch with Eugene’s unique history and culture through creative play. Discovery Village is part of an overall vision called RiverPlay, aimed at creating two regional play areas near the waterfront, linked by the River Bank Trail. This playground was made possible by the enormous support, cooperation, and generosity of the entire community and was spearheaded by the Eugene Rotary Club.

Discovery Village was designed to capture the character of our local region. Each play element relates to something special about Eugene’s places and people. Head to Skinner Butte Park and check out Eugene’s award-winning playground for yourself.

Take a ferry ride!

Children can pretend to be settlers as they shuttle people and cargo across the playground’s “Willamette River” on a play replica of the ferry that Eugene Skinner operated near the present-day Ferry Street Bridge shortly after settling in the area.

Play in the rain!

Help create the headwaters of the “Willamette River” at the Rain Circle, a water play element located in Kalapuya Village. Children control the rain with a push of a button that operates seasonally from 9.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Discover a Kalapuya summer dwelling!

Kids can play on, under and around this climbing structure, modeled after a Kalapuya summer dwelling.

Do some climbing!

On a play replica of Eugene’s unique basalt climbing columns at Skinner Butte, children can safely experience the thrill, challenge, and camaraderie of rock climbing, as well as the view from the top!

Pretend you’re a pioneer!

Creative play is fostered in Pioneer Village, where children can make believe they’re blacksmiths, school teachers, hotel patrons, and the town mayor. The possibilities are endless in this historical replica of Eugene, circa 1865.

Dig for fossils!

What better way to learn about the history of the area than to discover it yourself? Dig in the sand and uncover “artifacts” that reveal physical evidence of Eugene’s history, from dinosaurs to pioneer settlements!

Ride in a stagecoach!

Head out West in a play replica of a stagecoach modeled after the ones that parked out in front of the St. Charles Hotel in Eugene.

Directions to Discovery Village

The playground is located across the street from:
210 Cheshire Ave.
Eugene, OR 97402 View map

From the southeast side of the park: take High Street north; this turns into Cheshire Avenue and winds through the park. Follow Cheshire to the NW end of the park. Playground and parking lot will be on the right.

From the southwest side of the park: take Lawrence or Washington Street north to Cheshire Avenue and turn right into the park. The playground will be a short distance down on the left.

Volunteer

Help activate the power of parks by getting involved with our Eugene Outdoors volunteer program. Learn new skills, meet great people, and improve the quality of life in Eugene by helping to care for our parks and open spaces.